1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a work flow management system, a work flow management apparatus and method for managing the work flow.
2. Description of the Related Art
The work flow technique is the one whereby the job flow, i.e. the work flow is controlled by a computer system to proceed with the job. In the facsimile device, for example, a facsimile communication unit in the facsimile device receives a facsimile letter, a network communication unit in the facsimile device receives an electronic mail and other information, or a series of various other processes are executed in response to instructions issued from an operating unit in the facsimile device. The series of the processes thus executed can be considered as the work flow.
As for a management apparatus for managing the work flow as above, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-345954 proposes a technique in which a work flow management apparatus, which is independent and not connected with other devices, permits the information on the processes described above to be acquired from the work flow information. Specifically, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-345954 discloses a technique to store a history of the work flow configured of a plurality of processes and a history of each process, and access a history of an individual process from the work flow history and the histories of the processes before and after the individual process. The technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-345954 facilitates to manage the history of each process individually which is executed in the independent apparatus not connected with other devices.
In the conventional techniques for history management of the various processes in the work flow including the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-345954, the history of a process is managed only by the device that has executed the process. In the case where a plurality of devices are connected by LAN, etc. and the work flow is configured of a plurality of processes executed through a plurality of devices in the LAN, therefore, the completion of the work flow cannot be confirmed and the history of the work flow, i.e. how the work flow is executed through which device, or the like cannot be acquired. Further, it is impossible to acquire the detailed information on each job in the work flow.